In the blink of an eye, the courtyard that had been packed with people moments ago was left with only Magical Congress officials and Aurors. Golden powder clung to them, and their faces looked as though they were covered by a shadow.
Almost everyone's pocket was growing hot, hotter by the second.
There was no need to take out the Book of Friends. Everyone understood perfectly well—
Their colleagues, alarmed by the highest-level alert and rushing to the meeting room, had found it empty and sent messages asking what was going on.
"Madam Piquery," Hawthorne said, "stay here with your people and clean up the aftermath."
"Understood." Ella replied with a grave look.
She knew what she needed to do—
It was not to arrange for someone to clean the courtyard, but to collect every fragment of the clowns and every speck of golden powder, then examine their magical residue and physical composition;
Second, she needed to investigate who had brought such a massive Pumpkin Carriage in, how it had been placed in the courtyard, and whether anyone had been put under a sophisticated Confundus Charm.
She also had to review the information on every guest, confirm whether they had attended in person, whether they had returned home safely, and whether they had displayed any unusual behavior that night.
Hawthorne had complete faith in Ella Piquelly's abilities. He turned to Salina and said:
"Miss Goldstein, lead half the Aurors to deploy and stand guard at key locations in New York and Washington."
"Although what we saw in the video just now was staged, we cannot rule out the possibility that once we lower our guard, the 'prank' will be carried out for real!"
Salina had assumed she would be Ella's assistant. Only then did she realize the weight of the